


Ephemeral

by tipsy_teletubbies



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 10:10 reigns superior, A lot of star references, Character Study, Freeform, Idols, Light Angst, No Plot/Plotless, Oneshot, hoshi is different from soonyoung, i wrote this for my class, literally there is zero (0) plot in this, this is just my take on the lives of idols
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:41:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29059959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tipsy_teletubbies/pseuds/tipsy_teletubbies
Summary: Hoshi (星): of Japanese origin; starA star was momentary, temporary in its short life, its fleeting beauty, its brief praise and recognition. A star was meant to be loved fiercely for a short time, meant to die out slowly after its moment of fame and glory, meant to fade into the hazy subconsciousness of the mind, forgotten and alone.A star was ephemeral; Hoshi was ephemeral; he was ephemeral.
Kudos: 3





	Ephemeral

**Author's Note:**

> Did I write a svt fanfic and submit it for my creative writing class? Yes. Yes I did. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. 
> 
> The prompt text for this assignment was "The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury" by Neil Gailman, which I included some quotes from, and I *highly* recommend reading it. It's a brilliant piece of work, and I absolutely loved it. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this plotless "fic" ^-^
> 
> (post editing, I realized this is exactly 1010 words... it's fated XD A tribute to our beloved 10:10 Gose's)

**_Hoshi (_ ** **_星):_ ** _of Japanese origin; star_

_Hoshi_. A star, a blinking light in the choking darkness of the night sky, a luminous flicker of hope struggling for survival in the endless abyss of the galaxy. People gathered under the expanse of the night, admiring the shining diamond, capturing its celestial beauty with the soft shuttering of camera lenses. A moment frozen in time, preserved, cherished, loved; and then forgotten. 

_Hoshi._ A star, a name chanted and screamed with adoration and reverence in the choking darkness of the auditorium, a face inspiring hope and happiness, struggling for survival amongst others in the endless abyss of the merciless industry. People gathered under the expanse of the stage, admiring the shining diamond, capturing his ethereal beauty with the soft shuttering of camera lenses. A moment frozen in time, preserved, cherished, loved; and then forgotten. 

A star was momentary, temporary in its short life, its fleeting beauty, its brief praise and recognition. A star was meant to be loved fiercely for a short time, meant to die out slowly after its moment of fame and glory, meant to fade into the hazy subconsciousness of the mind, forgotten and alone. 

A star was ephemeral. 

The exhilaration and euphoria that came with performing was a refreshing breath in his suffocating life, the blinding lights and delightful cheers rejuvenating him, reviving him, bestowing life to his weary mind, to the husk of his body. Flowing movements, a melodic voice, striking lyrics soothing the anguished cries of hollow souls, he found solace and bliss in them all. The overwhelming force of their love and devotion was staggering, a relentless weight on his shoulders, but he accepted it all with a brilliant grin and a grand declaration of gratitude. After all, they loved him; he loved them. 

They didn't love him. They loved Hoshi, but they didn't love _him_. They loved the persona he presented in front of the unforgiving cameras, the perfect porcelain mask he hid behind under scrutinizing and dissecting eyes, the charismatic and upbeat personality he trained himself to portray at every given second. They loved his smooth singing, his elegant dancing, his body, his face; they loved everything that didn't truly belong to _him._ They loved Hoshi, but _he_ was not Hoshi. 

Reprimands and punishments. Criticisms and scoldings, always a mantra of _'do better',_ or _'you should be better than this'._ Better, better, better; always better, never good enough. Endless hours of practice, until his body collapsed to the ground, sore and spent and exhausted. Repeated responses and rehearsed words, until they were simply letters strung together instinctively, empty and meaningless. Practiced smiles, carefully and meticulously constructed; pain, anger, sadness, he smiled through them all, until he was certain his face would split open, pouring blood on the perfect marble floors, splashing crimson against the perfect white. Better, better, better; he had to be more than better. He had to be perfect. 

Hoshi was powerful; he was an idol, worshipped by the world, radiant in his determination, in his tenacity and talents, in his unrivalled strength and resilience. He was a blazing flame of hope, offering unconditional comfort and warmth to those who had long forgotten everything but the bone chilling cold. To the lonely souls that had seen nothing but despair and misery, nothing but a continuous, monotonous path ahead of them, he was the torch, leading them, guiding them, returning love and life as graciously as he received them. Every song, every melody, every lyric, every word was their happiness, their comfort, their meaning in life. 

Hoshi was powerful, but _he_ was not. Hoshi was a giver of life, granting joy and purpose to his devotees, bestowing his gifts to the sea of worshippers before him; _he_ was a reaper, selfishly reaping what he sowed. _He_ was simply a shell, a hollow man, simply another Icarus who flew too near the sun and was now tumbling down in an eternal descent from grace. _He_ was just another wandering man, searching for his imaginary purpose, another lost soul; lost not to the claws of Death, but drowned beneath clouded memories, suppressed by the beloved persona of the bringer of life. 

With his bare hands, he created and granted vibrant lives of meaningful purpose to the world, yet _his_ own was dull and meaningless. He was the downpour after a drought that revived wilted blossoms, but _he_ was a dying rose himself. Faces, bodies, cameras, they surrounded him from every angle, suffocating him, strangling him, yet _he_ was left alone in his sinister purgatory. 

But a star was ephemeral; Hoshi was ephemeral; _he_ was ephemeral. 

Time was unforgiving, ruthless, sparing no mercy and serving no one. Time was the true reaper, the true death, the true evil in the malicious world. It was time that blurred memories, that stole youth, that snatched, with greedy hands, happiness, fame, honour, prestige, glory. Time was the true devil in this cursed world. 

He was not exempt from the cruelty of time. 

His words which were the people which were the days which were the lives of many; his music survived, his lyrics survived, he survived, he lived, he mattered, he changed the world. But his name could not be remembered. Not Hoshi; no, Hoshi was not a name. Hoshi was a star, a celestial persona, a protective armour he defended himself with against the onslaught of vicious judgement and beratement. No, _his_ name could not be remembered. His songs were memorized, his dances learned, burned into the minds of devoted fans, but who _he_ was, was gone, ashes blown away by the wind until all that was left was a space in their hearts, in their minds, in their souls, where he used to be. 

They speak of a man who sang with the voices of heaven and the pains of damnation, a man who danced with the passion of a wildfire and the grace of a fallen angel. They speak of a beloved and forgotten idol, an ephemeral star whose name was not Hoshi, but Kwon Soonyoung. 

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wanted to write about the difference between an idol's persona on stage and their actual selves, I just never thought I would write it for school XD
> 
> Out of all the members, Soonyoung's duality has always shocked me the most, thus I decided to base the fic off of him. Coincidentally, his stage name also fits the idea the most, so I guess it's just meant to be~~
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Love you all~ ^_^
> 
> ps: "ephemeral" is my favourite word ever, you can thank "Ephemeral Gods" for that ;)


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